BBC Sport looks at the reer of Mike Bttler, Formula 1's only known gay male driver, and his impact on today's LGBT+ motorsport muny.
Contents:
- LGBT+ HISTORY MONTH: MIKE BTTLER - FORMULA 1'S ONLY KNOWN GAY MALE DRIVER
- THERE ARE MORE 'OUT' GAY RACG DRIVERS THAN YOU THK
- GAY NATN’S TOP FORMULA ONE DRIVERS IN 2022
- F1 WOULD WELE AN OPENLY GAY DRIVER - SEBASTIAN VETTEL
- ARE THERE ANY GAY DRIVERS FORMULA ONE?
- PETROV: IF AN F1 DRIVER OUT AS GAY, WILL THEY URGE EVERYONE ELSE TO BEE GAY?
- SEBASTIAN VETTEL - F1 READY FOR AN OPENLY GAY DRIVER
- F1 WOULD WELE AN OPENLY GAY DRIVER, SAYS VETTEL
- VETTEL: A GAY FORMULA 1 DRIVER WOULD BE WELED, AND RIGHTLY SO
- ARE THERE ANY GAY F1 DRIVERS?
- VETTEL: F1 IS READY FOR AN OPENLY GAY DRIVER
- GAY NATN’S TOP FORMULA ONE DRIVERS 2021
LGBT+ HISTORY MONTH: MIKE BTTLER - FORMULA 1'S ONLY KNOWN GAY MALE DRIVER
* any gay f1 drivers *
Bttler remas the only known gay male driver to have peted at the hight level of did so at a time when F1 was an pecially macho environment. "I knew he was gay, but didn't matter my world. "The racg world of the 2020s is a very different place to that of the Bishop, a Racg Pri ambassador and Aston Mart F1 chief munitns officer, said: "In the early 1970s, people didn't talk about beg gay.
THERE ARE MORE 'OUT' GAY RACG DRIVERS THAN YOU THK
On Tuday, Raphael Orlove and Bill Caswell posed the qutn on Jalopnik, “Why Aren’t There More ‘Out’ Gay Race Car Drivers?” Actually, there are more than you thk. * any gay f1 drivers *
"In the Uned Kgdom, was only 1967 that homosexualy was legalised between two nsentg adults private. Overall, he sred five top-10 fish his then the UK was plunged to fancial turmoil by the 1973 oil crisis, and his team did not have the money to stay the 34, Bttler retired om Bradshaw, a motorsport PR nsultant who first met Bttler the early 1970s, said: "There was no stigma wh Mike, he was a nice gentle person - everyone knew he was gay, wasn't a secret and was accepted. "I spect would have been easier for him to live the liftyle he wanted LA and San Francis, whereas beg gay London was a more secretive thg, " said Phillips.
"'LGBT+ people have always been part of motorsport'Brr Endurance Champnship driver and Racg Pri -founr Richard Morris has had lots of support wh motorsport after g out as gay 2018Sce Bttler's ath, several motorsport drivers have e out as Mans class wner Danny Watts me out 2017, a year after retirg, while the W Seri there is LGBT+ reprentatn on track fellow Brish drivers Abbie Eaton and Sarah Moore. Richard Morris, -founr of Racg Pri and a driver for the Praga team the Brr Endurance Champnship, me out as gay 2018, when already tablished motorsport. Some people knew I was gay but I wasn't out - I thk that is very siar to Bttler's experience.
GAY NATN’S TOP FORMULA ONE DRIVERS IN 2022
As we return to racg after the Northern Hemisphere's summer break 's time to give you Gay Natn's Hottt Formula One Drivers of 2022. * any gay f1 drivers *
"If he was alive, he would have been terviewed about Sectn 28 and gay marriage.
F1 WOULD WELE AN OPENLY GAY DRIVER - SEBASTIAN VETTEL
Formula One would now wele s first openly gay driver, acrdg to Germany's four-time world champn Sebastian Vettel. * any gay f1 drivers *
"Sectn 28 was a law that affected England, Wal and Stland, passed 1988 by a Conservative ernment that stopped uncils and schools "promotg the teachg of the acceptabily of homosexualy as a pretend fay relatnship" were mass protts by LGBT+ mpaigners and the law was repealed Stland 2000, before England and Wal did the same 2003. On Tuday, Raphael Orlove and Bill Caswell posed the qutn on Jalopnik, “Why Aren’t There More ‘Out’ Gay Race Car Drivers? A Next-Gen Bolt EV Is On The Way From ChevroletOffEnglishEvan Darlg is an openly gay driver known bt for his efforts road racg.
In an exclive terview wh Queers4Gears, the current NASCAR Sprt Cup Champn, Brad Kelowski said, “I don’t thk anyone r (if a driver is gay. ”That statement is accurate, as the reprentatn of openly gay people the sport is not limed to recently profiled Matthew Pattison, an openly gay official who’s worked the sport for 15 years and is one of the ma officials the Timg and Srg Tower.
ARE THERE ANY GAY DRIVERS FORMULA ONE?
Sebastian Vettel believ that F1 is now ready to wele an openly gay driver. * any gay f1 drivers *
Queers4Gears profiled an openly gay employee at Michael Waltrip Racg — who works the anizatn wh his partner.
”But what about the sponsors you ask — would an openly gay driver be able to attract a sponsor? Will there be fans that refe to accept an openly gay driver?
Openly gay drivers.
PETROV: IF AN F1 DRIVER OUT AS GAY, WILL THEY URGE EVERYONE ELSE TO BEE GAY?
Formula One would now wele s first openly gay driver, acrdg to Germany's four tim world champn Sebastian Vettel. * any gay f1 drivers *
Nothg chang a person’s views more than them knowg and rg about a gay person their life.
SEBASTIAN VETTEL - F1 READY FOR AN OPENLY GAY DRIVER
But Cheney’s view on LGBT rights is squarely the progrsive mp — bee he has a gay child. Attus about gay people are changg Ameri and the grandstands at the race track will not be immune to this shift.
Are there gay F1 drivers? I've been thkg about this topic for que some time but I realised that gay f1 drivers seem to e few and far between.
F1 WOULD WELE AN OPENLY GAY DRIVER, SAYS VETTEL
1950s: 0 gay drivers 1960s: 0 gay drivers 1970s: 0 gay drivers 1980s: 0 gay drivers 1990s: 0 gay drivers 2000s: 1 gay driver (Jaime Alguersuari) Proof 2010s: 1 gay driver (Jaime Alguersuari) 2020s: 1 gay driver (Alex Albon).
If we take to nsiratn the 2 gay drivers, Jaime Alguuari and Alex Albon.
003% chance of a Formula 1 driver beg gay. 003% of gay Formula 1 drivers (4x0. 93 people Formula 1 are gay which nfirms the sexualy of Alex Albon and Jaime Alguersuari.
VETTEL: A GAY FORMULA 1 DRIVER WOULD BE WELED, AND RIGHTLY SO
It took him ne more rac to get on the top step of the podium, but as you see he is still near the top of our Gay Natn rears podium at number two on our list of top F1 drivers.
ARE THERE ANY GAY F1 DRIVERS?
Is bee he has now been wh his girliend for a year (typil gays) or is that he has grown to a good-lookg mature young man who is drivg like a gun?
VETTEL: F1 IS READY FOR AN OPENLY GAY DRIVER
A prev player on our Gay Natn list, Alex Albon got dropped om F1 for 2021 after failed stts at Toro Ross and Red Bull but is now back and performg as well as n be expected at Williams. One of our most searched F1 drivers the past, mostly the search was “Is Albon Gay? The newt entrant to our Gay Natn list, as this, is his first year F1, but certaly worthy of a spot on our list after his performanc both on and off the track.
Are there or has been any gay drivers formula 1?
I wonr if there are drivers wh a homosexual orientatn. FLORION GOGA/POOL/AFP via Getty ImagRtersJun 8, 2022, 03:54 PM ETFormula One would now wele s first openly gay driver, acrdg to Germany's four-time world champn Sebastian champnship, which started 1950, has had only male drivers on the startg grid sce 1976 but has ma a ph for diversy and cln wh teams showg support for the LGBTQ Mart driver Vettel last year wore a rabow-loured T shirt Hungary wh the msage "same love" to prott anti-LGBTQ+ 34-year-old father of three has also peted wh Racg Pri logos on his r.
GAY NATN’S TOP FORMULA ONE DRIVERS 2021
"Perhaps wouldn't have been the se the past, but now I thk a gay Formula One driver would be weled, and rightly so, " Vettel said an terview wh LGBTQ magaze Attu that featured him on s ver. "I feel that a gay driver would help to speed up the elimatn of prejudice and help ph our sport a better directn. "Blackpool forward Jake Daniels last month beme the first active male profsnal player English football 32 years to announce he is gay.
F1 drivers have often advoted for the rights of the LGBTQ+ muny – however, how many gay drivers have actually been a part of Formula One? At prent, the only known gay Formula One driver is Mike Bttler.
Even the current grid, there is no prence of any gay BttlerMike Bttler peted 29 rac, wh a top fishg of seventh place at the 1973 Spanish Grand Prix. Whereafter the 1973 oil crisis Bra forced his retirement at the age of to the stigma associated wh homosexualy, Mike Bttler was not openly gay, although close iends, fellow racers, and fay were said to have been aware of his Formula W, there have been two drivers who have e out as openly gay/lbian.